Luggage carrier



Jan. 6, 1942. R. PARTI-:N E-rAL LUGGAGE CARRIER Filed April 24, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 )Dar-fen partly in section, taken on Patented Jan. 6,l 1942" LUGGAGE CARRIER Robert Parten, Minneapolis, and Ward llLfParten,

ta, Minn Wayza Application April 24, 1939, serial No. 269,912

2 Claims.

Our invention relates to improvements in luggage carriers intended for general use but especially well adapted to be mounted on the top oi' an automobile and used in pairs for holding skis, toboggans, iish poles, surveying instruments or similar objects that are too long to be conveniently carried inside an automobile, especially when all of the seats are occupied.

The objects of the invention are to provide a simple and eilicient luggage carrier in the form of a clamp that may be placed transversely over the top oi.' an automobile and removably and yieldingly secured thereto by fastening vdevices that are applicable tothe rain gutters on the sides of the automobile.

The invention further provides a luggage carrier in which objects areyieldingly held and in which said carrier may be easily manipulated from one side of an automobile while securing an object or objects therein or removing the same therefrom. l

Said invention further provides a luggage carrier that may be manually adjusted to automobiles of different widths or that will automatically adjust itself thereto. The improved luggage carrier is further provided with means for holding the same open and in a position such that it can be easily closed.

Other objects of the invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings. n

To the above end, generally stated, the invention consists of the novel devices and combinations of devices hereinafter described and deiined in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, which illusfI in dierent positions bymeans of broken lines;A

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 2; .i Figs. 4 and 5 are views partly in elevation and partly in section taken on the lines 4-4 and 5-5 of Fig. 3 respectively, on an enlarged scale; Figs. 6 and '1 are fragmentary detail views the lines 6 6 and l-'l of Fig. 5;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary detail view partly in plan and partly in section taken on the irregular line 8-8 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 9 is a detail view in section taken on the irregular line-B of Fig. 4;

Fig. 10 is a detail view partly in elevation and partly in longitudinal central section showing one of the rain gutter engaging hooks, von an en larged scale; and

Fig. 11 is a detail view in section taken on the line II of Fig. 10.

For the purpose of showing the invention applied in working position, two ofthe improved v trate the invention, like characters indicate like luggage carriers I2 are mounted lon the top of an automobile, indicated as an entirety by the letter X with the exception of its rain gutters Y which extend along the sides of the automobile just above the. door openings. `A pair of skis Z are shown held by the luggage carriers I2 on the' top of the automobile X and longitudinally thereof. v

The improved luggage carrier I2 is in the form of a clamp and includes a Irelatively fixed lower or base member I3 and a relatively movable upper or hinged member I 4.

Both members I3 and Il are in the form of flat bars that may be readily sprung to nt the curvature of the top of the automobile X.

The lower bar I3 is provided with a plurality of feet I5, as shown four, which'y rest on the top of the automobile and support the luggage car-- rier I2 transversely thereof and thereabove. Each foot I5- is in the form of a single fiat strip of metal bent to forma bottom member Il, a pair of upwardly and inwardly converging side members I1 and top members I8 which extend transversely under the lower 'bar I 4 and are spot welded thereto. An anchor I9 for a spring is formed on each of the two outermost feet I5 by bending the free end portion of one of the top members I8 downwardly midway between the sides of the members I6.

n 'I'his anchor I! extends edgewise longitudinally of the lower bar I3 'at the transverse center thereof and is provided with a transverse hole 2l and van entrance passageway 2| which extends from the rear edge of said anchor into the hole 20. To prevent the feet I5 from marring the nish on i .the automobile X, a pure gum rubber tube 22 is telescoped onto each member I6. This tubing 22 will not stick to the iinish of the automobile X and will not leave a mark thereon. l

To `detachably secure the luggage carrier I2 to the automobile X there is provided at each end of the lower bar I3 an anchoring device comprising a hook 23, a woven wire cable 24, and a coiled spring 25. The hook 23 is adapted to be hooked under one of the rain gutters Y.V The spring 25 is attached to-the anchor I3 by inserting the loop on'one of its ends into the hole therethrough and pinching the same` therein by flattening and bending said tube during the formation of said hook. The cable 24 at its intermediate portion works through a guide eye 21 secured to the respective end of the bar I3. To prevent the cable 24 and the hook 25 from marring the iinish on the automobile X, a rubber tube 28 is telescoped over the outer end portion of said cable and the inner end portion of said hook.

The top bar I4 is attached to the lower bar I3 by a separable hinge 29. This hinge 23 is formed by bending the respective end of the top bar I4 downwardly to form a hinged member 30 and in forming an elongated aperture 3i in the bar I3. The hinge member 30 extends through the aperture 3I which is somewhat narrower than said hinge member which has in its edges notches 32 into which the longitudinal edges of the bar I3, at the aperture 3 I, extend and thereby hingedly connect the bar I4 to the bar I3 with freedom for a relative short endwise movement. The end portion of the hinge member 30, below the notches 32, is bent outwardly under the bar I3 to afford a stop member 33 which normally engages the bar I3, at its under side, and tends to hold the bar I4 parallel to the bar I3.

In forming the aperture 3l, a portion of the stock cut from the bar I3 is bent downwardly to form an abutment 34 at the outer end of said aperture. When the bar I4 is closed the stop member 33 engages the abutment 34 and positions the hinge member 30 against the bar I3 at the inner end of the aperture 3I and thereby holds the bar I4 against relative endwise movement.

In raising the bar I4 to open the clamp I2 the stop member 33 will be moved below the abutment 34, when said bar reaches a predetermined inclination, and thereby permit the bar I4 to be movd endwise rearwardly until stopped by the engagement of the hinge member 30 with the abutment 34. This endwise movement of the bar' I I4 relative to the bar I3 positions the stop member 33 under the abutment 34 and thereby holds the bar I4 raised as shown by broken lines in Figs. 2 and 4.

The bar I4 at its free end is held in an operative or clamping position by means of a loop like latch 35 that encircles both bars I3 and I4. This latch 35 is free to slide von the bar I3 and from the bar I4 to release said'bar I4 and permit the same to be opened. To prevent the latch 35 from accidentally sliding from the bar I4 and thereby release the same, the free end portion of the bar I4 is turned upwardlyv as indicated at 36. The cable 24 and the spring 25, at the free end of the bar I4', prevent the latch 35 from being removed or lost from the bar I3. It will be noted that the end portions of the bar I3 project outwardly of the ends of the bar I4.

Two strips of sponge rubber 31 and 38 are cemented, the former to the upper face 'of the bar I3 and the latter to the under face of the bar I4. These rubber strips, 31 and 33, extend the full distance between the hinge member 30 and the latch 35.

When the bar I4 is closed the opposing faces of the rubber strips extend substantially parallel to each other and are spaced the one from the other.

, In applying one of the improved luggage carriers I2 to the automobile X the same is placed transversely across the top thereof, with the feet resting thereon. 'I'he hook 23 at the hinged end of the bar I4 is then interlocked with the respective rain gutter Y. Next the hook 23, at the free end of the bar I4, is interlocked with the respective rain gutter Y which necessitates the stretch of the springs 25. The operative length of one or both of the cables 24 may be varied at will by changing the knot or knots therein. The first time the luggage carrier is applied to an automobile one or both of the cables 24 may be adjusted to the width of the respective. automobile and thereafter the springs 25 will automatically take care of any adjustment between the carrier I2 and the hooks 23. The operative lengths of the cables 24 must be such that a stretching of the springs 25 will be required to interlock Ithe hooks 23 with the rain gutters Y and yieldingly hold-the same in position lon the automobile.

Any surplus in the length of the cables 24out` wardly of the knots 26 may be cut away.

In stretching the springs 25 to interlock the second hook 23 with one of the rain gutters Y, the bar I3 will be sprung to follow the contours of the top of the automobile and bring all of the feet I6 into contact with said top.

To hold the skis Z or other objects on the top of an automobile, by means of the two luggage carriers I2, the bars I4 are opened, as shown, by broken lines in Fig. 2 and thus held as previously described. The skis Z are then positioned longitudinally of the automobile and transversely on the strips of sponge rubber 31. With the skis X in position, the bar I4 of each clamp is given a slight forward endwise movement relative to the bar I3 to release the stop member 33 from the abutment 34 and permit the bar I4 to be lowered and position its sponge rubber strip 38 on the skis Z. A downward pressure on the free end of one of the bars I4 will compress the opposing rubber strips 31 and 38 and thereby yieldingly hold the skis Z. While the free end of the bar I4 is being held down,`

the latch 35 may be moved over the upturned end 36 on the bar I4 and into an operative position on said bar. See Fig. 5. During the closing of the bar I4, to clamp the' rubber strips '31 and 33 onto the skis Z, said bar will be sprung and substantially follows the contour of the bar I3. Obviously, the yielding action of the tensioned springs 25 will prevent each of the luggage carriers from working loose from the automobile X or more relative thereto under the movement of said automobile. The compressed rubber strips 31 and 38 prevent the skis Z from moving relative to each luggage carrier I2 under the moving action of the automobile.

It is evident that by standing on the running boards of the automobile X the hooks 23 may be easily manipulated to interlock the same with the rain gutters Y or to release the same therefrom. It is'also evident that by standing on one of the running boards of the automobile X the bar I4 may be easily reached and lifted into an open position or closed and while thus standing, skis or other objects may be placed in the luggage carrier I2 or removed therefrom.

In assembling the improved luggage carrier I2 it is only necessary, in connecting the bar I3 to the bar I4 to position the bar I4 at right angles to the bar I3, insert the stop member 33 and hinge member 30 into the aperture 3| until the notches 32 are aligned with the bar I3, turn the bar I4 into the plane of the bar I3 to carry the notches 32 into interlocking engagement with the bar I3, and nally in folding the bar I4 into an operative position over the bar I3.

The drawings illustrate a commercial form of the invention, but it will be understood that the same is capable of certain modifications as to details of construction, arrangement and combination of parts within the scope of the invention herein disclosed.

. What we claim is:

1. A device of the kind described comprising a lower spring metal clamping bar and a cooperating upper spring metal clamping bar, said outermost feet onto the top of the automobilev and then attached to the automobile for anchoring the device thereto and thereby holding the lower clamping bar bowed with the feet yielding'ly pressed onto'the top of the automobile, and

means connecting the two clamping bars to permit lost motion therebetween during bending thereof.

2. The structure dened in claim 1 in which said means includes hooks constructed and arranged to be interlocked with parts of the automobile and held operative bythe tension o! the bowed lower clamping bar.

ROBERT PARTEN. WARD M. PARTEN.l 

